Havelock High Teachers Resign After Near-Drowning

Posted: Wed 7:56 AM, Oct 03, 2012&nbsp|&nbsp

Updated: Wed 7:43 PM, Oct 03, 2012

Two teachers who were on a field trip to Fort Macon last week, during which a student nearly drowned, have resigned.

Rob Thomas and Meribeth Praml are the two teachers from Havelock High who resigned on Monday. The school system says Thomas had been with them for 11 years, while Praml for five years. Neither had any disciplinary actions in their files.

Last Thursday, students from the school visited Fort Macon in Carteret County. Officials say Glenn Poole apparently got caught in a rip current and nearly drowned. He was transported to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville. Poole's family has asked that no information about his condition be provided to the media. Poole at last report was in critical condition at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville. The fire chief says the student was in full cardiac arrest. They started CPR and ALS and managed to get his pulse back.

The school system says its investigation on what happened during the field trip is ongoing.

The Craven County school system previously told WITN there was nothing on a field trip request or the parent permission slip about whether students would be going into the ocean to swim.

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There is no explanation yet as to why students on a field trip were allowed in the ocean, with one of them almost drowning.

The Craven County school system says there was nothing on a field trip request or the parent permission slip about whether students would be going into the ocean to swim.

Havelock High School student Glenn Poole was critically injured at Fort Macon State Park on Thursday.

Students from four science classes and two teachers were on the board approved field trip to the North Carolina Aquarium and Fort Macon. A news release says parents gave their permission for the trip.

But the news release says the trip request and permission slip "did not state whether the activities would include entering the water to swim." WITN has sent a public records request to the school system seeking a copy of those documents.

Poole at last report was in critical condition at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville. The fire chief says the student was in full cardiac arrest. They started CPR and ALS and managed to get his pulse back.

We are told by friends he is a senior at Havelock High.

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A Havelock High School student who nearly drowned during a field trip in Carteret County was listed in critical condition at Vidant Medical Center late Thursday night.

Craven County Schools issued a press release Thursday evening saying 40 students from Havelock High School were on a board approved field trip to the North Carolina Aquarium and Fort Macon State Park, and while at Fort Macon, when one of the students who got in the water had to be rescued. The press release says the student was apparently caught up in a rip current.

The Atlantic Beach Fire Department which responded to Fort Macon Friday afternoon after a 911 call says the student's name is Glenn Poole. We are told by friends he is a senior at Havelock High.

The School District confirms the student is being treated at Vidant Medical Center, but said school officials are not at liberty to release any further information about the student or about the student’s condition.

PREVIOUS STORY:A high school student was critically injured after a near drowning today in Carteret County.

Atlantic Beach Fire Chief Adam Snyder tells WITN News that around noon firefighters responded to a Havelock High School student in trouble in the water at Fort Macon State Park. Snyder says students and teachers noticed the student was out in the water, and some went in to help.

The chief says the student was in full cardiac arrest. They started CPR and ALS and managed to get his pulse back.

The students were on a field trip, but it's not clear exactly where that was. A spokeswoman for the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores says there was a group from Havelock High School there this morning.

A Craven County school spokeswoman would only tell us "there was an unfortunate incident regarding a student today". That spokeswoman refused to answer any questions about what happened.

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